Wendy Duncan

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Wendy Maxine Duncan (née Tonkin), born 7 October 1954 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, is an Australian politician from the National Party. She served in the Western Australian Parliament in the Legislative Council (Agricultural Region, 2008–2009; Mining and Pastoral Region, 2009–2013) and in the Legislative Assembly (Kalgoorlie, 2013–2017). She is a patron of the Earbus Foundation of Western Australia.

Duncan grew up on a sheep station near Kalgoorlie, attended the School of the Air and later Methodist Ladies’ College in Perth. She earned a BA in politics and Australian history from the University of Western Australia and completed a postgraduate diploma in Canberra. She worked for the National Farmers’ Federation in Canberra (1977–1979) and held various roles in Western Australia before entering politics. She joined the Nationals in 2001, served as Esperance branch president (2002–2003) and was state president (2004–2008), the first woman in that role. She first stood for parliament in 2005 and 2007 but was not elected. She entered Parliament in 2008 after Murray Criddle resigned, winning a seat on countback, and later moved to the Mining and Pastoral Region. She held government roles as parliamentary secretary and assistant minister. In 2013 she won Kalgoorlie, becoming the first National to hold the seat since 1901, and served as deputy speaker. She sought the party’s deputy leadership in 2013 but lost to Mia Davies. In 2014 she floated the idea of becoming an independent but remained with the Nationals. She announced her retirement from Parliament at the 2017 election.